Vincent Tim Burton
Vincent Malloy is seven years old
He’s always polite and does what he’s told
For a boy his age, he’s considerate and nice
But he wants to be just like Vincent Price
He doesn’t mind living with his sister, dog and cats
Though he’d rather share a home with spiders and bats
There he could reflect on the horrors he’s invented
And wander dark hallways, alone and tormented
Vincent is nice when his aunt comes to see him
But imagines dipping her in wax for his wax museum
He likes to experiment on his dog Abercrombie
In the hopes of creating a horrible zombie
So he and his horrible zombie dog
Could go searching for victims in the London fog
His thoughts, though, aren’t only of ghoulish crimes
He likes to paint and read to pass some of the times
While other kids read books like Go, Jane, Go!
Vincent’s favourite author is Edgar Allen Poe
One night, while reading a gruesome tale
He read a passage that made him turn pale
Such horrible news he could not survive
For his beautiful wife had been buried alive!
He dug out her grave to make sure she was dead
Unaware that her grave was his mother’s flower bed
His mother sent Vincent off to his room
He knew he’d been banished to the tower of doom
Where he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life
Alone with the portrait of his beautiful wife
While alone and insane encased in his tomb
Vincent’s mother burst suddenly into the room
She said: “If you want to, you can go out and play
It’s sunny outside, and a beautiful day”
Vincent tried to talk, but he just couldn’t speak
The years of isolation had made him quite weak
So he took out some paper and scrawled with a pen:
“I am possessed by this house, and can never leave it again”
His mother said: “You’re not possessed, and you’re not almost dead
These games that you play are all in your head
You’re not Vincent Price, you’re Vincent Malloy
You’re not tormented or insane, you’re just a young boy
You’re seven years old and you are my son
I want you to get outside and have some real fun.”
Her anger now spent, she walked out through the hall
And while Vincent backed slowly against the wall
The room started to swell, to shiver and creak
His horrid insanity had reached its peak
He saw Abercrombie, his zombie slave
And heard his wife call from beyond the grave
She spoke from her coffin and made ghoulish demands
While, through cracking walls, reached skeleton hands
Every horror in his life that had crept through his dreams
Swept his mad laughter to terrified screams!
To escape the madness, he reached for the door
But fell limp and lifeless down on the floor
His voice was soft and very slow
As he quoted The Raven from Edgar Allen Poe:
“and my soul from out that shadow
that lies floating on the floor
shall be lifted?
Nevermore…
Cours du jeudi 9 février
1ere heure le matin
Feuilles distribuées pour la sortie au musée d'art moderne
1st lesson of the unit "Introduction to Gothic Fiction"
Oral expression / warm up (anticipation on the theme and vocabulary of the unit)
"What elements of the supernatural frighten you in novels or films?"
"Do you have any examples to provide from the books you read, films or paintings?
Elements mentions by the students: Tim Burton / soundtrack from Jaws or Psycho / Settings such as asylums (The Batman, Arkham asylum), haunted houses, mansions or castles, creepers and crawlers ...."
Written comprehension
Pair work on the summary detailing the characteristics of the Gothic movement.
Source "Introduction to Gothic Fiction" a webpage detailing the conventions of the genre.
http://davidcwood.com/adnd/campaign/gothfiction.html
Document distribué: Conventions
Task 1: Read the text and check whether you are able to answer the following questions:
a) When did the Gothic genre appear? How long did it last?
b) What did this movement, along with Romanticism, react against?
c) What is a typical feature of the Gothic genre?
d) How were Gothic romances considered by the general public, before the genre influenced all forms of art later on?
2eme heure de l'après-midi
Recherche de vocabulaire et classification des conventions du genre dans un tableau.
Correction
The hero / the heroine of the story
damsels in distress
Villains / Figures of the grotesque or fantasy
marvelous or mysterious creatures, monsters, spirits or strangers / enigmatic figures with supernatural powers
Setting
wild landscapes / remote or exotic locales / ruins or isolated crumbling castles or mansions (later cities and houses) / crypts, tombs / dungeons, torture chambers / dark towers / hidden rooms / secret corridors / passageways
Mood / Tone / Psychology
dimly lit / gloomy / dark settings / dream states or nightmares / family secrets / scientific tone (fantastic elements observed empirically)
Symbolism
found manuscripts or artifacts / ancestral curses / specific references to noon, midnight, twilight (the witching hours) / use of traditionally "magical" numbers such as 3, 7, 13 / unnatural acts of nature (bloodred moon, sudden fierce wind etc...)
Pour jeudi 15:
A partir des éléments recueillis sur le genre Gothique, proposez une lecture du tableau "The nightmare" de Fuseli et essayez d'établir ce qui permet de l'associer à ce courant littéraire.
Pour aller plus loin, affiche du film de Ken Russell "Gothic" (1986)
Cours du 02 février
Passage à l'oral sur le tableau de Norman Rockwell.
However realistic and unpremeditated the scene appears to be, in keeping with Rockwell's famous hyper-realistic style and painstaking attention to detail, the scene depicted is in fact a well-constructed and coherent work of art that left nothing to improvisation. The moving-in of a coloured family into a predominantly white neighbourhood is weighed with the stakes of a newly defined American society in the year 1967.
Different straight lines crisscross the picture creating symmetry and a funnel effect that lead the onlooker into focusing on the main characters, adding to the intensity of the encounter depicted. The lines on the pavement provide a literal and visual interpretation of the expression "New kids on the block". The children, in mutual observance, are keeping to themselves behind neatly drawn lines. Time is suspended as each party gauges the other, the physical distance separating the young protagonists remains to be closed. These children are within the same age group, they share the same interests, belong to the same social class. The difference lies in the colour of their skin. The integration issue is at the heart of this illustration painted by Rockwell in 1967, in the context of the civil rights movement. It raises for the onlooker the question of the relationships that will arise from this encounter. What becomes of it remains open to interpretation, the innocence of children placing them as neutral elements in the debate.
The bright yellow colour patches provide yet another focal point onto the children, with a left-to-right reading of the picture, following the natural movement of the beholder's gaze, and a triangular composition that adds depth and perspective within the scene and enables Rockwell to anchor his situation in a typical suburban setting that may immediately be identified through the neatly trimmed lawns of the neighbouring houses.
The fact that the children are slightly leaning forward suggests curiosity and interest. Each boy holds a baseball mitt and this may play a part in the prospect of a budding friendship.
Cours du 26 janvier
Travail sur "New kids in the neighbourhhod" de Norman Rockwell.
Si vous souhaitez voir la photo de travail qui a servi à Norman Rockwell pour son illustration cliquez ici. Vous pouvez visiter d'autres tableau à cette adresse.
Un article interessant sur le tableau également ; ici
Cours du 12 janvier
Part 4.
Angela's relationship with her grandmother.
Vocab:
a substitute for ...
a mother figure
the bonds are very strong
a tight-knit family
to trust someone / trust / a trustworthy person
an intimate moment
a shelter from ...
Line 175 to line 245:
This part is devoted to the intimate bond existing between Angela and her grandmother. Few words are exchanged and yet the author manages to convey the trust and love existing between the two characters. By allowing herself to be touched, as her grandmother combs her hair, by allowing herself to be fed, to be lectured, Angela develops a strong affection for her grandmother, who, in spite of her strange humour, still displays her love through simple gestures and the daily tastks of the household. This passage illustrates Jacqueline Woodson's approach to literature as a way of conveying the idea of lineage and the passing on of the family history, especially on the mother's side. These characters are strong, reliable figures that allow the younger ones to grow up and thrive. The kitchen here is perceived as a haven, a shelter from the outside world and its ferocity, a place where freedom of speech and thought is allowed.
Angela and her sister Dana.
They are almost twins, they share the same features and yet there is a radiance about her sister that captures the attention of people away from Angela.
Cours de l'après midi, expression écrite à partir du chapitre qui était à préparer pour aujourd'hui:
Q1 What is the main topic of this passage?
Q 2 What sets Angela apart from the other children at school?
Q 3 Sum up what you understand about Angela's family way of life, relationships, that you consider important to mention.
Q 4 Why does Angela say "the road is narrow", line 323
Cours du 4 janvier
"The mystery of boys" correction
A large part of the third passage is devoted to the description of a group of boys playing "Skully", a street game consisting in shooting caps with your fingers on a chalked-up grid on the pavement. This activity, in the tacit code of the children playing in the street is exclusively played boys, girls are not allowed in. As Angela puts it, it's not just a rule set up by her mother, her friends don't allow it either. "You're not a guy". The sentence written in italics stresses out that unseen boundary that separates the two groups.
The fact that she is denied that game makes it all the more interesting and alluring. There is an aura of mystery that surrounds it. This is reflected in the vocabulary used by Angela to describe it:
the boys crouch in "the strange position" of the game, looking "oddly beautiful". The perceptions are not clear-cut, the atmosphere is ladden with a sensuality that Angela is not yet fully able to identify. She observes them, "standing back".
Line140: "There is something in this game [..] that I don't yet understand.
The boys seem to belong to a wholly different world with other sets of rules that not only exudes virility but also a sense of empowerment that she feels deprived of. They seem in control of their environment, bound by ties she feels excluded from: "the boys look powerful" / "they laugh loudly"/ "the ferocity of their togetherness".
Angela finally finds a word to put on this sense of frustration she feels deep inside: "FREEDOM". She envies that control and sense of purpose as she herself feels indecisive and still struggling for answers. She wants to "belong", be part of a group and at the same time exist and she still has to reconcile this duality in her. We understand that Angela is a rebel, in the good sense, she does not take things for granted and questions her environment and the order of things established. This curiosity and desire to understand her environment reveal a rich and profound inner world. Somehow, either at school or in the street, there is an order of things, a tacit distribution of roles that she feels the need to put in perspective, although she does not have all the clues yet. The process of growing up and becoming aware of the world she lives in is illustrated in the multiple unanswered questions that spring to her mind and which come down to one basic element: "WHO AM I?" Angela still has to discover whether she should be defined by what the others project on her or by her own independent spirit. Such powers of introspection come with a price, she is in a way set apart from the rest of the other children:
"We sit on the curb and watch them (the boys). Her (Maria) not understanding why I would want to get down in the street, me not knowing how to talk about the word that comes to me: "freedom"
Travail en groupe sur la 2eme heure
Cours du 7 et 14 décembre
Part 1
My crazy, beautiful world. Lecture première page, ligne 1 à 42.
The main character is called Angela, she’s a twelve-year old girl.
The narrator is Angela herself aged sixteen and looking back at her childhood.
She’s not an adult yet but she’s not a child either, she can feel she is evolving into something different although she has no idea what her future will hold for her. She feels the need to tell us about that time and to tell us about herself in order to move on, to find her own path.
Line 10: “Then I will be able to move on.”
The text is a first-person narrative. What does this literary technique create?
= A subjective point of view / a filtered vision of the world / stream of consciousness.
A subjective physical portrait is provided of Angela.
lanky
braided hair that has been straightened
no curves in her body
dark skin
gap-toothed
the tallest in her class
Personality
confused = a fuzzy brain
unsure
She is often taunted by her school friends Jolly Green Giant
/ she finds herself ugly, gawky / She finds it hard to fit in.
She considers herself as the ugly duckling.
We understand that she finds it hard to cope with her physical appearance, like a lot of teenagers.
The text begins as a classic adolescent tale. The text reminds us of a diary in its form, addressed to an unknown reader. 
Part 2
When you are a child, every sensation feels more intense. Can you find different quotes to illustrate how Angela uses different senses to perceive her environment?
Line 56 : bleach-scented water / Line 58: already hot / Line 559: my feet bare
Line 59: letting the truck’s cool, smelly water breeze over me (Synesthesia: the senses overlap and merge)
Line 62: my tee-shirt growing damp
Line 69: even as the water cooled me
All these elements and sensations ground Angela in her neighbourhood which is suddenly alive with people and a vibrant community, as the mothers sweep their front doors.
A familiar feeling of sadness suddenly creeps up, reminding us of those strange turns of mood that sometimes affect us, as a foreboding that this childhood happiness may one day end.
We finally understand who had been calling Angela, line 22 ( “Somewhere far off someone is calling my name now”) and line 49 (“Behind me, someone keeps calling my name, but I ignore this”).
This character appears like an echo slowly bringing back Angela to her "reality", lost as she was in her thoughts. Her name is Maria, she is Angela’s best friend. They’ve known each other for seven years. They have been friends since they were five.
Angela is afraid that Maria may one day realize that Angela isn’t as pretty as she is. She under the impression that it may jeopardize or put an end to their friendship.
Angela's sister
Angela's sister lives apart from the other children her age,. She has also become enstranged to her own kin. She's aloof, lost in her thoughts and literally appears as an alien belonging to another world, while the other kids are stuck on earth, unable to reach the same heights. This gap between them is underlined in the grammar of the narrative:
Modals: she won't want to (play with them)
le modal WILL est utilisé ici pour signaler la prédictibilité du personnage et son comportement caractéristique.
Prepositions: moving away from us / has moved inside herself / to a quiet place / words foreign to me
Les adjectifs composés marquent aussi une rupture dans leur apparente simplicité: a far-off look / us not-brilliant kids
There is a lack of communication between them, as though they spoke a different language: no sense / I don't understand
Angela seems to resent this at times and to accept it at others.
Cours du Jeudi 01 décembre
Les élèves donnent les éléments biographiques recueillis sur Jacqueline Woodson en préparation à la lecture de "My Crazy Beautiful World".
http://www.amazon.com/Such-Pretty-Face-Stories-Beauty/dp/B005M4M17Y
Nous visionnons une vidéo tirée d'un site qui lui est consacré où Jacqueline Woodson présente sa conception de l'écriture, basée sur la transmission et l'émancipation. Elle explique son propre parcours et ce qui l'a poussé à écrire, son parti pris d'écrire ce qu'elle nomme "Realistic Fiction", du fait q'u enfant elle ne trouvait jamais rien d'écrit sur les familles monoparentales, les enfants handicapés ou l'héritage Afro-Américain. Nous commentons ces thèmes que nous retrouverons dans la nouvelle.
Contact a été pris avec Jacqueline Woodson qui nous a envoyé un gentil mot:
Hi Olivier:
L'après midi les élèves partent du FAQ sur le site et en groupe travaillent sur une présentation écrite des éléments majeurs constitutifs de sa biographie.
Site de ressources: http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
Homework pour jeudi prochain: préparer la première partie de la nouvelle de la ligne à la ligne 42.
Cours du jeudi 27 novembre
Présentations orales des élèves sur les personnages féminins archétypaux de leur choix.
Portraits proposés: Rosa Parks / Sophia Scholl / Olympe de Gouges / Coco Chanel / Grace Kelly / Cléopatre / Marilyn Monroe
Cours du jeudi 17 septembre
1ere heure: devoir sur table
TASK: "You are going to write a review of novels and short stories you have read for a literary blog.
Sum up the short story "Clap hands here comes Charlie" for your readers to make them want to discover it. Don't give away the end!"
BAREME:
Correction grammaticale: 5 pts
Vocabulaire varié : 3 pts
Structure réinvesties: 8 pts
Résumé de l'histoire: 5 pts
Présentation des personnages: 4 pts
Originalité de l'approche: 5 pts
2eme heure: nouvelle séquence "Feminine voices."
Travail préparatoire en groupe sur documents iconographiques + textes d'accompagnement.
Images_contrastees
Les trois documents sont mis en perspective et des premières tentatives d'analyse sont mis en place pour restituer les contrastes et similarités entre ses documents. Les élèves réfléchissent également à la nature du document et le message qu'il envoie.
Homework: préparez une préparation orale autour d'un personnage féminin fictionnel ou existant qui vous a marqué.